WPP and comScore Partner for Cross-Platform Measurement

Measurement firm comScore announced a strategic partnership with WPP-owned Kantar on Thursday, a tie-up intended to improve the companies’ cross-platform audience and ad campaign measurement capabilities in non-U.S. markets.

As part of the deal, WPP will take an equity stake in comScore of between 15-20%.

According to comScore Chief Executive Serge Matta, the deal is intended to combine comScore’s strength in online measurement with Kantar’s TV assets in markets such as those across Europe. He described “a massive global opportunity waiting to be unlocked by cracking the code on cross-media audience and campaign measurement.”

The partnership will have little consequence in the U.S., however, where Kantar’s TV measurement capabilities are limited.

Despite WPP taking an equity stake in the company, Mr. Matta insisted comScore will remain entirely independent. WPP will not have a board seat, and will not have any rights that other investors do not.

“It was very important for us to remain independent, which is why this took over a year to negotiate. We stuck to our guns, we fought hard on the independence piece.” Mr. Matta said.

According to WPP, the agreement continues its strategy of strengthening its capabilities in digital and data investment management businesses. WPP’s digital revenues were over $6 billion in 2013, amounting to approximately 35% of the group’s total revenues of $17.3 billion, the company said. WPP has set a target of deriving 40% to 45% of revenue from digital in the next five years.

Last year WPP also took a 16.7% stake in TV measurement firm Rentrak. According to Mr. Matta, comScore and Rentrak are currently in partnership discussions also.

“This has been spearheaded by (WPP CEO) Martin Sorrell. This is about WPP’s vision of putting data and digital at the heart of everything,” he said.